Velscope Oral Cancer Checks in Lakeview & South Loop

Oral cancer kills one person every hour of every day, 24/7/365, in the United States.

Art of Modern Dentistry is dedicated to making sure our patients don’t become part of these horrifying statistics. Oral cancer, which can affect the throat, mouth or lips, is vastly curable as long as it is diagnosed in its early stages. This makes regular visits to the dental office an important part of detecting and fighting oral cancers. We are proud to use VELscope, which is an innovative hand-held device that is easy-to-use and quickly performs a mucosal examination, which can be used to detect abnormal tissues. The test takes less than two minutes. With the VELscope technology, dentists and hygienists can directly visualize the tissue with fluorescent lighting. Any changes to the fluorescence can indicate the presence of abnormalities.
The VELscope device uses a safe, blue light that is aimed into the oral cavity. It excites the surface of the epithelium all the way down to the basement membrane where cancerous changes often begin, as well as into the stroma underneath. This light causes the tissues to fluoresce. With the use of this light, our dental professionals can immediately identify differences in the fluorescence so we can determine if there is any abnormal tissue present. This is the only noninvasive device that has been proven to identify problem areas and potential oral cancer and other diseases.
VELscope, when used in conjunction with the other more traditional oral cancer exams dentists have previously been using, promotes the early discovery of oral cancers and can clearly visualize mucosal abnormalities before they reach the surface where they may already be or can develop into oral cancer. In just a minute or two, without the use of stains or rinse, an examination with VELscope can provide a clear diagnosis to give patients peace of mind any oral abnormalities have been identified. The cost of this procedure is minimal and offers patients a more effective method of detecting issues early.

Oral Cancer Facts:

-Oral cancer rates in the United States increased by 11 percent in 2008.
-The survival rate for oral cancers has remained relatively unchanged.
-For oral cancer, the five year survival rate is around 52 percent, though early detection can increase that rate to 80 to 90 percent.
-Only about 35 percent of oral cancer cases are detected early. This is because of poor advancement in screening technology and the limitations of white light and chemiluminescence lighting examination techniques.
-Pre-malignant changes typically occur below the surface in the basement membrane. These won’t be apparent to the naked eye until it progresses further.
Ask your clinician at Art of Modern Dentistry about VELscope and let us provide you with the latest technology available to achieve early detection of oral cancer!

Key Facts/Benefits

-Oral cancer is responsible for one death in the United States every hour of every day.
-We use the latest in technology, namely the VELscope, to complete mucosal examination to detect abnormal tissues that may be or may develop into oral cancer.
-A fast, accurate test that is inexpensive and safe. Takes less than two minutes.
-Improves five-year survival rate from 52 percent to 80 to 90 percent as a result of early detection.